February Weather

[lonesoac0]

Hello all.

I am starting to plan a trip to Belize and Honduras in February 2014. Anyone have any documentation on where I can find predicted dive conditions? I know that I can remember that some people noted that they could not make it to the Blue Hole due to the weather. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[OnTheSpot]

This is what we say about Belize weather and dive conditions:

[h=2]Diving Season[/h] Belize can be dived year round. February and March represent the driest months. March to June experiences occasional rainfall and August to October, "the wet season", represents the more likely period for hurricanes. Visibility remains constant year-round away from the mainland shore.
August to October tend to be the months with the warmest water temperatures at around 28 or 29°C. Even at the lower end of the annual water temperature range, Belize is very much a warm water destination. The temperature rarely dips below 26°C even around the cooler months of January and February. Seldom would you need more than a shortie and many divers choose not to use an exposure suit at all during the warmer months. Air temperatures remain relatively constant around the 27°C mark.
Surface conditions can become more choppy in the dry season although this is usually restricted to the more exposed dive sites further from shore. It is possible that some of the more exposed sites might be off limits during this time.
The best conditions for diving Belize are generally considered to be from March to December, although outside this period it is common to still find optimum diving conditions. The first few months of this period (March to June) are considered by some to represent the very best months. April to June is whale shark season in Placencia, in the south of the country. October and November is when thousands of groupers mate and give birth to their young in the shallows of the cayes.

 

[Doc]

An interesting perspective on weather, maybe from the tourist bureau? The facts are all there, but the elephant in the room was ignored.

Throughout the region, and this would include Coz and the Bay Islands, during the February time frame, there is a distinct possibility for a "Norther". These periods of intense wind and wave are created by the downward Southerly push of cold air from the Arctic. When you hear about those unusual freeze warnings in Texas- that is a Norther. This is not often, but when it arrives, it is absolute puppy poop.

... restricted to the dive sites further from shore...

Meaning the dive sites that the week-long divers travel into the offshore cays to get to, versus the near mainland sites that they dump the cruise ship divers on. Yes, that is about correct.

If I could, I would wait till March, but I would look forward to being there in April and May... much as the Bay Islands.

...I know that I can remember that some people noted that they could not make it to the Blue Hole due to the weather....

Well, at least there is that to consider as a possible benefit. Do a search for repeating Blue Hole threads that all culminate in the same perception.

There's a whole lot more to see in Belize beyond a greyish deep sink hole.

 

[zeppelindiver]

If you are looking for climatological monthly averages in terms of temps, rainfall, water temp, cloud cover etc. there is a good website Holiday Destination Search - Travel Destination Finder that has the info for almost all the popular tourist destinations in the world. Obviously any given day or week may differ from the norm but it gives a good perspective on the weather odds for each month & I find it more useful for planning purposes than anecdotal info.